Potato peeler



R. D. MAINE.

POTATO PEELER.

Feb. 13, 1923.

FILED APR. 26; 1922.

IN VEN TOR. /za M/MS.

of Colorado, have invented useful Improvements in Potato Peelers,

warren BOY D. MAINE, or DENVER, COLORADO, assreivonor ONE-THIRD T0 JOHN w. ;ronns,

or DENVER, COLORADO. 3

Be it known citizen of the rora ro rnntnn.

Application filed April 26, 1922. Serial No. 556,693.

that I, BOY 11- am, a United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State certain new and which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to potato cutting machines, its main object being to provide a simple, convenient and peeling or scraping eificient machine for potatoes or other root-s,

fruits or vegetables and subsequently cutting the same into slices for use.

Another object vide in a machine of thefiabove described character a rotary to remove theeyes or the potato.

Still another provide means cutting surface ators hand into gouging member adapted decayed portions from object of the invention is to by which the potato is maintained in constant engagement with the.

without bringing the opercontact therewith.

To these ends, the invention consists in the construction ment of parts shown combinations and arrange in the accompanying drawings, in the various views of which like parts are similarly designated, and in which Figure 1 represents of my improved a sectional elevation potato cutter;

Figure 2, a section on the'line 22, Figure 1;

in Figure 1;

Figure l, ane

nd view of the device shown in Figure 1, partially in section; and

Figure 5. as de elevation of the peeling member of the machine.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 2 designates a housing having at its top a hopper 3, through which the p otatoes are fed to the peeling and slicing members, and at its under means of which itmaybe edge'of a work-bench The housing cular section, the inner surface of which is outwardly flaring form open preferably of at its outer end side a clamp 4: by

fastened at the or table;

provides a chamber of cirand having at its closed end of the invention is to pro-v of'the above mentioned arbor 14: and the bolt an opening 2 for the admission of an axially bored arbor'la, in which is fitted abolt 5 for the'cooperative connection of a rotary cutting member 6 and a hand crank 7.

i The cutting member Golthe device'consists of a tapering circum'ferentially dished, shell 8 open at one end and formed to loosely fit within the chamber oi? the housing. The shell has in its circun'iterential walla plurality oi equidistantlyarranged longitudinal slots 9 and integral cutting blades 10 which extend .slantingly along I one of the. edges thereof.

Y i Theopen end of the hollow cutting member coincides with the open end of 1 the i chamber and the member is rotatably supported in the chamber through themedium i 0 5 which'has at one end 'Tadisk-shaped head 11, adapted to lit snugly"z'i ,'ainst the inner surface of the closed end of the cutting member. The arbor comprises a cylindrical part- 1 F which is rotatably fitted i in. the opening 2 of the housing, an angular shank 15 at an end thereof, upon which the handcrank 7 is fitted, and a1 flangelQ at the opposite end of the same which hastwo or J.- more dowel pins 18 passing through apertures in the closed end of the cutting memher, into therewith registering holes inthe head of the bolt to establish the rotative continuity of the parts. 1 A wing nut. 27 applied at the protruding screw-threaded end of the bolt clamps the cutting member, the arborand' the handle intheir cooperative relationp I 2 1 Disposed above the cutting member 6, inside the hopper 3, is a gouging memberit'or removing the eyes orfdecayed portions of potatoes subjected. to the peeling actiou of the device. J

The gouging member consists proteraljrly 'v of: a hub 17 from which extend a series of curvecldigging members 18; the outer edges of. whicl'i are concaved and sharpened to engage with the potato inserted in. the hopper 3. The hub is 'mountedon the squared body-portion of a shaft 19,:111 end of which i ries upon its end protruding through the bearing, a pinion 21 which meshes with atoothed wheel 22 on the hand crank 7.

Lugs 24 within the housing above the gouging member are provided with openings for the insertion of a bolt 26 which extends through knuckles 25 on a hand guard 25 to serve as a hinge for the latter. The guard 25 being free to move up or down wardly in the hopper, is in practice employed to hold the potato in continuous engagement with the rotary; cutting element of the device, and eliminates all danger of cutting the hand of the operator;

In the operation of the machine,.the potatoes are "fed into the'hopper at the top of the housing and are peeled by being pressed against the rotary cutting member through the medium of the hand guard, while the cutting member is rotated bythe hand crank 7. After the skin of the potato is thus removed to a thickness more or less depending on the force with which. it engages the rotary cutting member, eyes, or decayed parts appearing; in its bared surface are readily removed. by bringing the potato in contact with the blades of the gouging; element, which is continuously rotated by its gear connection with the handle 7.

The potato may subsequently be sliced in. the same machine by replacing the peeling member 6' bya slicing member of simi ar form and construction, designated by the numeral 28 in Figures 3 and 4t ot-the drawings, Thereplacement is readily effected by removing the wing nut 27 from the bolt 7 5, which permits of the cutting; membe and the arbor being passed t irough the open end of the housing, and of detaching the cut ting member from the arbor and replacing it by another. The slicing member differs from the peeling'member only in the shape of its slots and the cutting blades extending along an edge thereof, and it will be readily understood that by substituting a similarly formed scraping member for either the peelinn member or the slicing member, the machine may be used to cut the potato into still smaller parts. Inasmuch as the construction oi? the scraping;- member is obvious and does not "harm a part of the n'esent invention, it has not been shown in the draw lugs.

Havingthus described my improved cutting machine, I desire it understood that variations i u the construction and arrangement of the parts thereol. may he resorted to within the spirit of my invention as dcfined in the following; claims.

What I claim and desire tosecure by Let tors-Patent is 1. In a potato cutting machine of the J I character described, the combination r housing having a chamber open 1.;

chamber, a cutting member in said chamber open at one end and apertured at its opposite end, a bored arbor rotatably mounted on the housing and having: dowel pins fitted in the apertures of the member, a bolt havinga head bearing interiorly of the cutting member and engaged by said dowel pins, a hand crank connected with the arbor, and a nut on the bolt, bearing on. the crank. 2. In a potato cutting machine of the character described, the combination with a housinc; having a chamber open at one end and a feed opening connecting with the chamber, of a peeling member in. said chamher, and a gouging member in the feed opening adapted to remove the eyes and decayed portions of apotatoengaged by thepeeling member.

3. In a potato cutting machine olthe character described, the combination with a housing" havino a chamber open at one end and a feed opening connecting with the chamber, of a peeling member in said cham her, and a rotary gougingmember in the feed opening comprising a circumferentially concaved roller having a plurality of curved peripheral cutting blades adapted to'remove the eyes and decayed portions ofa potato engaged by thepeeling member. 1

l. In a potato cutting machine of the character described, the combination with a housing having a chamber open at one end and a feed opening connecting with the feed opening connected with the peeling member for synchronous. operation.

5. In a potato cutting machine of the character described, the combination of a housing having a chamber open at one end and a feed opening connecting with the chamber, a peeling member in the chamber, ashaft extending;exteriorly ot the housing, a gouging member on the shaft inside the feed opening-,5 pinion on the shaft, a hand crank in operative connection with thepeeling member, and a toothed wheel on the crank meshing," with. the pinion.

A potato cutting machine comprising a housing having achamber open at an end, and a fe d oi icniug'-connecting: with the chamber, a rotary cutting iueml'ier in the-rluimber and a rotary gougingmember in the feed opening above the cutting mentber. adapted to engage with a potato passed to the flitting: member through said opening.

filn a potato cutting; machine of the cluiractcr described, the combination with a housing having a chamber open at one end and a feed opening connected with the chamber, of a cutting member in said chainber having a tapering circumferentially dished and longitudinally slotted surface, and correspondingly formed cutting blades at an edge of its slots,

8. In a potato cutting machine of the tially dished to provide a space inside the character described, the combination of a chamber between its said ends, and'having housing having a straight conical. chamber correspondingly formed cutting blades along 10 open at its larger end and a feed opening an edge of its slots.

5 connected. with the chamber, and a rotary In testimony whereof I have aflixed my longitudinally slotted cutting member fitted signature.

at its ends in said chamber and eircumferen- I ROY D. MAINE. 

